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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. game — a match
  3. staff — employees
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. season — of the year
  7. kick — in football
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. spell — magic
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. spell — a short time
  13. staff — employees
  14. spell — letters
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. roll — a list
  17. staff — a stick
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stand — to bear
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. roll — a cake
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com